Student Uses Pimple Extraction as a Response on Vocabulary Test

The more you know.

Middle school: A time of raging hormones and seemingly endless piles of homework. Those two major facets of preteen life recently came to a head (literally), when one sixth-grader drew on their newfound knowledge of treating pimples in order to complete a vocabulary assignment. The skincare expert's teacher shared a photo of the assignment on Reddit's "Skincare Addiction" board earlier this week, where it has already garnered hundreds of upvotes.

The photo shows a classic vocab worksheet asking students to use words like "exclude," "expand," "maximum," and "minimum" in sentences. When asked to make up a sentence using the word "extract," the clever student took advantage of the opportunity to show off a little acne-based expertise. "Never try to extract pimples by popping them," they wrote, prompting the proud teacher to caption the Reddit post with, "My [sixth-graders] have been listening...future [Skincare Addiction]er!" It's safe to assume the student earned an A-pus -plus on the assignment.

In subsequent comments on the post, the teacher explained that they had recently given their middle schoolers an introductory course on skincare and pimple maintenance — which should be a mandatory course for all preteens, TBH. "My advisory asked me for a Q&A on skincare myths and actual science a few weeks back and apparently they're taking it to heart. No more toothpaste on zits, friends, and wear SPF pleeeeease," the wise teacher wrote.

As tempting as it is to pop a pesky zit that just refuses to be covered by concealer, and as satisfying as it is to watch Dr. Pimple Popper's mesmerizing extractions, this gold-star student is correct. As multiple dermatologists recently confirmed to Allure, not only does pimple-popping often make a zit worse or cause even more to appear on your skin, but it also can keep your skin from healing and even leave a tear or scar. If you absolutely must get rid of a spot before it's ready to bow out on its own, get it professionally extracted or keep your pop-happy hands distracted with this pimple-popping-simulating toy.